July Column
48°51′11″N 2°22′09″E / 48.85306°N 2.36917°E
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The July Column (
History
A first project for one commemorative column, one that would commemorate the
The monument, in an elaboration of a Corinthian column, was designed by the architect Jean-Antoine Alavoine, following a commission from Louis-Philippe: the Place de la Bastille was officially selected as the site on 9 March 1831, and the Citizen-King placed a first stone on 28 July 1831, the anniversary of the revolution that brought him to power; a hymn with words by Victor Hugo and music by Ferdinand Hérold was sung at the Panthéon on the occasion. The Colonne de Juillet was constructed by Alavoine's partner in the project, Joseph-Louis Duc. It was inaugurated 28 July 1840.[1] Music composed for the occasion was Hector Berlioz' Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale, which was performed in the open air under the direction of Berlioz himself, leading the procession of musicians which ended at the Place de la Bastille.[2] Jean-Pierre Montagny issued commemorative medals on the occasion.[3]
In the foundation, a columbarium was arranged to receive the remains of 615 victims of the July Revolution. A further 200 victims of the Revolution of 1848 were later interred in the space; the throne of Louis-Philippe was symbolically burned in the square, in July 1848.
Description
The Colonne de Juillet is composed of twenty-one cast bronze drums, weighing over 74 tonnes (163,000 lb); it is 47 metres (154 ft) high, containing an interior spiral staircase, and rests on a base of white marble ornamented with bronze bas-reliefs, of which the lion
See also
References
- ^ Baedeker, Paris and Its Environs 1874:61f.
- ^ Berlioz, Memoirs chapter 50, noted by The Hector Berlioz website.
- ^ "Jean-Pierre Montagny". Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
- ^ The sun is in the zodiac sign of Leo in July.
- ^ A commemorative plaque at the base reads "À la gloire des citoyens français qui s'armèrent et combattirent pour la défense des libertés publiques dans les mémorables journées des 27, 28, 29 juillet 1830".
- Musée du Louvre: (On-line catalogue entry)
- ^ Flaubert, L'éducation sentimentale, Gallimard, Paris, 1965 p.84
External links
- Official website
- (Insecula) Images of the Column
- Génie de la Liberté (Webshots user photo - links to bigger version)